Stingrays and Foxface

[pandaparties]

I have a tank with a Halleri ray, one marble coral catshark, one vlamingi, one purple tang and a soldier fish.

I was wondering if anyone has experience having a ray with a Foxface? I am a little afraid he's going to get carpeted by my ray who occasionally does it to my other fish and he's going to sting him. How deadly are the stings? Would like to keep the two but wonder if I'm playing with fire

@Jay Hemdal
@WheatToast

 

[Slocke]

I don't believe the sting wouldn't be fatal from the foxface but definitely painful enough to stop it ever doing it again. Both fish have a protein based toxin as I understand it, not that that helps you unless you get stung (I believe hot water helps against the pain) The mechanism so far as could find is only proven to induce pain. Both fish use their venom to scare away predators through pain not to kill. If anything the physical damage of the spines is more dangerous than the venom itself. Infection is of course a risk though less so from a foxface as the spines aren't barbed like a stingrays.

 

[pandaparties]

The sting wouldn't be fatal from the foxface but definitely painful enough to stop it ever doing it again. Both fish have a protein based toxin as I understand it, not that that helps you unless you get stung (I believe hot water helps against the pain). Both fish use their venom to scare away predators through pain not to kill. If anything the physical damage of the spines is more dangerous than the venom itself. Infection is of course a risk though less so from a foxface as the spines aren't barbed like a stingrays.

Good to know, thanks for the input! Maybe they will have a mutual respect for the each other as they are both stinging fish lol

Always hard to know what works together, so little hobbyist information on rays

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I have a tank with a Halleri ray, one marble coral catshark, one vlamingi, one purple tang and a soldier fish.

I was wondering if anyone has experience having a ray with a Foxface? I am a little afraid he's going to get carpeted by my ray who occasionally does it to my other fish and he's going to sting him. How deadly are the stings? Would like to keep the two but wonder if I'm playing with fire

@Jay Hemdal
@WheatToast

I don’t have direct information regarding the toxicity of foxface on rays, but I suspect it wouldn’t be lethal.

Jay

 

[pandaparties]

I don’t have direct information regarding the toxicity of foxface on rays, but I suspect it wouldn’t be lethal.

Jay

Thanks Jay, I know you are the resident expert on rays around here. You think behaviorally they'd be okay together outside the stinging aspect?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks Jay, I know you are the resident expert on rays around here. You think behaviorally they'd be okay together outside the stinging aspect?

Depends a bit on the relative sizes. As long as the ray can’t try to swallow it I don’t see any other issues.
Jay

 

[pandaparties]

Depends a bit on the relative sizes. As long as the ray can’t try to swallow it I don’t see any other issues.
Jay

Yup exactly what I was thinking and going to get a bigger one. Thanks Jay!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I too dont see the venom as a fatal type but rather of irritation.

 

[Slocke]

Good to know, thanks for the input! Maybe they will have a mutual respect for the each other as they are both stinging fish lol

Strangely enough that does happen in the wild where predators tend to avoid venomous prey. Look at pufferfish. They need to be injested to administer their poison but nothing ever eats them. This is even often true in species that usually don't coexist.

Always hard to know what works together, so little hobbyist information on rays

Yep.
Plenty of medical on rays and a lot of hobbiest on foxface but not vice versa.